Just Remember
by WeasleyWizardingWheezes12
Summary: On a rainy night 8 years ago, his wife disappeared. Her car was found, totalled, and all that was inside it was a ring. Treasuring the ring, he has given up on her, but soon, everything changes...NS...COMPLETE!
1. Closer together

(A/N) Hey everyone, this is something that I am trying out…I have WONERFUL betas for this (thank you to: EquestrianBabe, Irken Gir, and Forensic Puppy), and I really hope that you guys like it. If you like it, review, and I'll continue, and if you want to be a beta leave your email address in your review and I'll send you my chapters, ok? And on another note, this may or may not be an AU, and it might be OOC; but I'll explain that, that part is intentional.

**Title**: Just Remember…

**Author**: Indiegurl2008

**Summary:** She disappeared mysteriously 8 years ago, everyone thought that she died, her husband still loves her, but he has given up on her, but when he goes far away to investigate a case, everything changes.

**Chapter 1**

"_I'll be back in a couple of hours…I need to find something…wait for me…"_

_-_

"_Stokes" _

"_It's Catherine; we have a car crash…I15 south, total damage, and you need to come."_

_-_

"_Oh God, that's her car!"_

_-_

"_We couldn't find the body, all there is; is a __ring."_

-

"Dad, wake up!"

Nick opened his eyes painfully, and the sun poured in. He squinted and turned around, and then saw his eight-year-old daughter, Alyssa (who looked just like him),jumping on the bed and yelling choruses of "Dad, wake up! Dad, wake up!"

"Dad, you promised to take us out to lunch; it's already noon," a more sensible Emily said from the door.

"But if you're tired, I'll make something." Christina answered taking her place behind Emily. Emily, at 15, had beautiful long brown hair and hazel eyes, she looked like a mixture of her mom and dad;whereas Christina, the eighteen-year-old, looked exactly like her mom; brown, straight hair, and beautiful hazel eyes.

"Hello?" Emily called, awaking Nick out of his silent reverie. "Are we going out to lunch or not?" she asked impatiently.

"Fine, wait for a little bit, and I'll change and be right out…ok?" Nick answered.

The three sisters walked out of the room, animatedly talking about something that they had seen the previous night on television. He was reminded of his wife; her laughter, her eyes, and the way she did everything. Silent tears poured out of his eyes as he thought of the one whom he loved. He slowly got out of bed and went into the shower. As the warm drops of water hit his back, he finally did what he had been holding back. Nick sobbed over the loss of someone so much more precious to him than anyone else; someone who loved him more than any other: his wonderful, caring wife, Sara Stokes.

They all went out to the nearest diner; they went there so regularly, everyone knew their name, the usual order, and how old the kids were.

"Hey Tom," Nick said as he walked in. "How's everything for y'all?

"Pretty good, how are your young ladies doing?" The portly man (who must have been Tom) asked, wiping the bar with a rag. Then he added as an afterthought: "My, my, you girls just grow up everyday! Christina, you look so much like your mom…it's amazing," he said, remembering Sara. Knowing how her dad felt when people mentioned her mother, Christina quickly replied:

"We're doing great, and thanks, I'll take that as a compliment." Tom smiled, showing yellow teeth.

"What about me?" Alyssa asked.

"Well, what about you?" Tom began, "You look like a princess." Emily smiled while hoisting a giggling Alyssa up onto a stool. They all ordered cheeseburgers and fries and ate lunch while Nick sat and watched.

After lunch, Emily asked Nick: "Dad, what was mom like? I…we…we want to know about mom; all Alyssa knows is that Christina looks like her, but that's not enough, for her that is... Please tell us."

"You girls know, I'll tell you about her when I am ready, just not yet."

"When will you be ready?" Alyssa asked seriously, which was a first.

"I don't know yet," he said, gripping the steering wheel.

"That's not good enough," Emily declared. "We need to know about her; everyone at school asks me what my mom is like, but I can't give them a lot because I was seven when she left, Alyssa doesn't even have a _clue_! I don't know about you, but to me, there is something wrong there!"

"Emily…" Nick said warningly, "If you don't cut this out, you are going to be grounded."

"She's right," Christina said. "You have been holding back on us dad; you haven't shown Alyssa a picture, or anything! I wish that you would."

"Yeah, but do you have to mention me?" Alyssa asked.

"Yes…" Emily answered, then continued talking to Nick: "Please, dad?" Emily asked pleadingly.

"Fine," Nick said, wanting the discussion to be over as soon as possible.

He pulled up into the driveway and went into the beautiful Spanish-style condo, the children following. They slowly went upstairs while Nick got ready for work. He went earlier than he used to-around three o' clock. Christina peeked into the doorway.

"Dad, thanks, I think that what you are doing is great…I really do want Alyssa and Emily to know about mom. I love you dad." She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, and he kissed her back.

"You're welcome," he said heavily; he was just going to make up an excuse tonight, but now, he didn't want to do that; his daughters' trust in him made him realize how much Sara would've wanted her children to know about their mom. Christina already knew about her-after all, she was ten when Sara disappeared, and Emily probably remembered some things. Christina smiled and walked out of the room. She had inherited the famous "Sara smile," as well as her mom's teeth. Nick walked out of the master bedroom and walked outside, into his Denali, and off to the LVPD crime lab.

After a horrible shift, Nick walked out cradling his right hand (paperwork), limping on his left foot (one of Catherine's experiments), and looking about ready to cave in. He slowly trudged his way out into the parking lot, and saw Grissom walking out of his car. "Returning from a scene?" he asked.

"Yeah, 419 and a possible kidnapping. Ecklie might have all of us on the case soon enough. Go home, Nick, you need some rest now… You look like you're dead!" He laughed and Nick walked right back into his car. When he got home, the kids greeted him at the door. He groaned, remembering that he would tell them about how he and Sara met, the marriage, and everything else. He really hoped that Alyssa would fall asleep somewhere in the beginning, but he knew _that _would never happen. They all followed him upstairs, and when he went into his bedroom, something grabbed his shirt; sure enough, it was Alyssa.

"And where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"To change my clothes, Lyssie. You and your sisters just go into the living room and get comfortable. I'll be there as soon as I can." Nick smiled as he looked at the wonderful faces of the kids whom he loved so dearly. After he changed, he walked out into the living room where the kids were drinking some soda. He brushed this off, not making his usual comment about drinking soda in the house after nine. "Okay, where should I begin?"

"Do when you two met. Christina heard this one but I didn't," Emily said

"Well," Nick began, remembering a time: "It was in 2000; she came to investigate Warrick, because he did something wrong." He paused briefly. "We became great friends, flirting with each other on different occasions. She liked our boss, Grissom, at that time. She flirted more with him than me. So, I pushed all thoughts of us getting together, and I focused on my career. Late 2004, the lab manager Conrad Ecklie split up our famous night shift. He put Catherine as Swing Shift supervisor, and Warrick and I followed. Grissom, Sara, Greg, and Sophia stayed in the night shift. Well, pulling us apart brought us closer together…"

(A/N) What did you think? I will be beginning the next story with the flashback, and I will not have these annoying notes. Ok I have one favor to ask, could everyone please review if you want to read more? Otherwise, I have absolutely NO IDEA if I need to improve or not.


	2. Accidentally in Love

(A/N) Thank you for your amazing reviews. I hope you like this story…and I would like to thank my most wonderful betas. If you guys have any questions or want to beta this story, please leave it in a review or email me, and I will answer them.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own CSI or any thing to do with it, and I don't own the Academy Award nominated song, "Accidentally in love" By Counting Crows.

**_Last Chapter_**

_"Well," Nick began, remembering a time: "It was in 2000; she came to investigate Warrick, because he did something wrong." He paused briefly. "We became great friends, flirting with each other on different occasions. She liked our boss, Grissom, at that time. She flirted more with him than me. So, I pushed all thoughts of us getting together, and I focused on my career. Late 2004, the lab manager Conrad Ecklie split up our famous night shift. He put Catherine as Swing Shift supervisor, and Warri__ck and I followed. Grissom, Sara, Greg, and Sophia stayed in the night shift. Well, pulling us apart brought us closer together…"_

**_Just Remember…_**

_**Chapter 2: Accidentally in Love**_

_**By: Medha Gupta**_

**Flashback: May 2005**

"Ok, ready, aim, fire….YES!" Warrick screamed from the ballistics lab.

They were investigating the gunshot residue stains, and this one matched, placing the killer at the crime scene. He was walking out of the room when Nick walked up to him.

"Did we catch him?" Nick asked.

"Yes, he was there, we just disproved all of his stories," Warrick exclaimed.

"Finally and" he was about to continue when he saw someone walking into the lab. He only saw her back, but from where he was standing, he could see that she had brown hair, a great tan, and she was wearing a purple shirt and black pants. When she turned around, it turned out to be...

"Sara, girl, you look great!" Warrick stated. Nick was speechless.

"Thanks," she said. She turned around to go when Nick spoke.

"S-s-s-Sara, where have you been? I haven't seen you around…" He stopped when he thought that he sounded too stupid.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Grissom made me take a vacation. I have so much time already stocked up, I decided…for now, maybe a vacation from crime would be the best. So I went to Los Angeles to visit my friend," she responded. Warrick grinned.

"So you went to Los Angeles to take a vacation from crime?"

"Mmmhmm!" She nodded, beaming. Nick laughed.

"Yeah, go to one of the most crime stricken areas in the world, not counting Vegas, to get away from crime…right?" Nick added in, and Sara nodded again.

"Well, I have to go see Grissom now…nice seeing you after such a long time!" She walked towards Grissom's office. Nick stared at the retreating figure until she turned the corner towards the night shift supervisor, Gil Grissom's office. Sara turned around once before she turned to go toward Grissom's office.

She saw Warrick excitedly talking to Nick, and Nick was preoccupied. She turned back around and headed to Grissom's office.

"Hey," she said almost inaudibly.

"Hi Sara, come on in." Grissom gave her a small smile, "How was your vacation?"

"Good, miss me?" Sara asked.

"Well, yeah, we are really backed up with paper work, but you are on a case now with Greg," he said quickly.

"Yeah, okay." Sara walked out of the room. She admonished herself for feeling bad at what Grissom told her. What did she expect? Grissom picking her off of her feet, and sweeping her in a kiss? Sara had to laugh at that, it seemed so out of character for him, and just Grissom doing that would be funny. Sara was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she ran headfirst into an evidence-box-carrying-Nick.

"Aww, damn it!" Nick exclaimed looking at a messy array of sample bags, swabs, and pictures. Sara immediately blushed and began stuffing the contents back into Nick's box hurriedly.

"I'm sorry," Sara whispered embarrassedly. Nick glanced at Sara; she really looked beautiful today. He reprimanded himself for not ever seeing how much beauty this girl really had.

"Don't worry about it; I should've looked where I was going," Nick said, wanting to hold her hand and console her. She looked kind of upset, he couldn't figure out why. After all, you can't be on the verge of tears when you bump into someone with an evidence box, he thought. They threw everything haphazardly into the box, and picked it up. "Thanks, Sara," he told her smiling and putting one hand on her shoulder.

"You're welcome, and I'm sorry for bumping into you like that; I'm having an off night. Well, good luck on your case." She softly grinned before walking down the hall, and outside to her black Denali. She drove to the crime scene where Greg was already processing the evidence.

"What took you so long?" Greg asked.

"I was just talking to Grissom," Sara answered.

"Oh, how is your lover boy?" The younger man teased. Sara gave him a piercing glare before she asked Greg her question.

"What happened here?"

"Well, it is a B&E. The family was asleep, and their burglar alarm didn't go off, but all their valuable jewelry was stolen."

"Oh, any evidence?"

"Well, I pulled several stray hairs from the safe, and there were some fibers on the safe handle. I'm suspecting it's an inside job. Brass is in there talking to the family." Greg looked proud of his findings.

"Okay, let's go in and get the family's DNA and fingerprints so we can rule them out." Sara added. Greg concurred and they both went inside.

Nick put the evidence box in the storage room and went into his car. All that he thought about was Sara. When he got into his car he wondered what was wrong with him; this had never happened to him before. As he drove down to his apartment, he kept thinking of her face, her smile, and everything else. When he got to his apartment, he turned on the radio. The song playing sounded familiar, he recognized it from his niece's favorite movie, Shrek 2; usually he would turn it off, but now he listened to "Accidentally in Love," by the Counting Crows.

_So she said what's the problem baby_

_What's the problem I don't know _

_Well maybe I'm in love (love) _

_Think about it every time_

_I think about it_

_Can't stop thinking 'bout it_

_How much longer will it take to cure this?_

_Just to cure it cause I can't ignore it if it's love (love) _

_Makes me wanna turn around and face me but I don't know nothing 'bout love _

He took off his shirt, and went into the bathroom to wash his face. When he looked into the mirror he saw Sara standing behind him smiling. He turned around, but she wasn't there. "You love her," a little voice inside his head said.

"No I DON'T!" he said forcefully.

_Come on, come on _

_Turn a little faster_

_Come on, come on _

_The world will follow after_

_Come on, come on _

_Cause everybody's after love_

He walked over to his kitchen and looked at notes he got from his brother. He had found love. He always teased Nick about not him finding love soon. "You have found love," the little voice repeated again.

_So I said I'm a snowball running _

_Running down into the spring that's coming all this love _

_Melting under blue skies _

_Belting out sunlight _

_Shimmering love _

_Well baby I surrender _

_To the strawberry ice cream_

_Never ever end of all this love_

Nick didn't feel like cooking tonight, so he decided to order pizza.

When he pulled out the yellow pages, a picture slipped into his hands.

It was of him and his co-workers, or at least, when they did work together. Sara stood beside him, and she was grinning so widely in the picture. "Why are you denying this?" The annoying voice whispered irritatingly into his head.

_Well I didn't mean to do it _

_But there's no escaping your love_

_These lines of lightning _

_Mean we're never alone, _

_Never alone, no, no _

He put the picture down and ordered the pizza, his hand mechanically moving over the numbers that were the pizza man's. He ordered his pizza, and once again looked at the picture...

_Come on, Come on_

_Move a little closer _

_Come on, Come on_

_I want to hear you whisper_

_Come on, Come on _

_Settle down inside my love_

_Come on, come on _

_Jump a little higher_

_Come on, come on_

_If you feel a little lighter_

_Come on, come on _

_We were once_

_Upon a time in love _

The picture was taken a little bit after Krysti Hopkins's death, and the whole team had been there for Nick. He looked at Sara's picture, and remembered how great of friends they were at that time, when she was happy.

He wanted to make her happy. Nick wanted the smile to return on her gorgeous face. He wanted her. Finally, the voice in his head shut up, and he quit denying. Nick couldn't hold back his feelings: he was accidentally in love.

TBC


	3. Let her live

**(A/N)** Thanks again for all your reviews, and if you haven't yet…REVIEW! They help me write just a wee bit faster! lol. It was my birthday last week! I'm fifteen, YAY! This chapter is still in the past.

_**Author: Medha Gupta (CSIindiegurl)**_

**_Title: Just Remember_**

**_Summary: On a rainy night 8 years ago, his wife disappeared. Her car was found, totaled, and all that was inside it was a ring. Treasuring the ring, he has given up on her, but soon, everything changes..._**

_**Last Chapter**_

_He wanted to make her happy. Nick wanted the smile to return on her gorgeous face. He wanted her. Finally, the voice in his head shut up, and he quit denying. Nick couldn't hold back his feelings: he was accidentally in love._

_**Chapter 2: Let her live**_

Greg staggered into the crime lab, blood smeared on his hands and clothes. Bruises were prominent on his skin, and he could barely keep his eyes open. He then saw Grissom walking towards him, concern apparent on his face.

"Greg what happened? Where is Sara?" he asked. Greg wanted to talk, but he could barely keep his balance. The world was beginning to fade.

"Shot…three miles north…near gas station…still breathing." With that he fell forward into Grissom, and saw no more.

"I NEED HELP!" he screamed, "WE NEED MEDICS HERE ASAP, CALL 911!" Grissomlay Greg down softly on the ground, and then ran outside to find Sara. When he got outside, he started running north; fifteen minutes later, he found Sara. Kneeling down, he checked her pulse; it was faint, but it was there.

"Sara! Can you hear me?" he asked softly. She only grunted in reply while Grissom called 911.

"We need assistance immediately!" Grissom yelled.

"Okay, where are you?" the operator asked

"One mile south of the gas station, and approximately three miles north of the LVPD crime lab."

"Okay, we'll be there in around five to ten minutes." Grissom hung up, and looked at Sara. She looked horrible; there were numerous contusions around her face, gashes on her arms and legs, and there was a bloodstain on her shirt which revealed where the bullet grazed her side.

"Don't worry honey, the medics are coming," he whispered soothingly while brushing his hand through her hair, and putting his other hand in hers. In one way, she was like the daughter he never had: intelligent, sweet, caring, and stubborn. Ambulances were blaring out in the distance. They came closer, and Grissom stood up to flag them down.

"Did you call?" The paramedic asked.

"Yes, please take her to the hospital, she has been shot," Grissom pleaded. The paramedic nodded, pulled Sara off in a stretcher, and carried her into the ambulance. Grissom called the only person whom he knew would help: Catherine.

"Willows," a voice answered groggily.

"Cath, could you come and pick me up? Sara just got shot, and Greg isn't doing too well either, and I need to get to the hospital," he said with urgency in his voice.

"Oh my God, okay, where are you?" she asked while pulling on some clothes.

"Three miles north of the Lab, near the gas station."

"Okay, I'll be there," Catherine said, and hung up the phone. She was about to leave when she remembered Lindsey, her daughter. She wrote a note and put some money on the table before leaving. Cath phoned Warrick, who said that he was going to meet them at the hospital after he phoned Nick.

The phone rang, once, twice, and then an arm reached out to grab it. "Stokes," he said before closing his eyes again. Suddenly his eyes opened up. "Oh, okay, I'll be there." He quickly put on some pants and a shirt, not caring if they matched or not. He had just gotten the news about Greg and Sara. _Great, every time I fall in love with someone, they get hurt_, he thought; tears coursed down his cheeks as he drove to the hospital. Once he got there, he stormed through doors in the Emergency Room; he then stumbled upon Catherine and Warrick. They were hugging, and Warrick was whispering in her ear, and were both crying.

"Hey," Nick said softly.

"Hey," they both said simultaneously. Catherine wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and Warrick did the same.

"How are they?" Nick asked.

"Greg is fine, just chronically dehydrated, but his wounds are superficial," Catherine replied.

"And Sara?" Nick asked. Catherine buried her head into Warrick's shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Nick, she is in a coma; the bullet just grazed her skin, but she has a lot more trauma then that. The doctors say," Warrick stopped to catch his breath and wipe the tears on his face, "The doctors say that if her body doesn't accept the surgery, then there is no hope for Sara after that. Grissom is going to come and tell us when she goes into surgery." Warrick stopped, and put his hand on Nicks back, while Nick looked incredulous.

"No," he said, "No, she's fine. This is all a joke right?" With that he started laughing maniacally, he laughed until his sides were sore, and then suddenly, out of nowhere, he sobbed. Harder than he had ever remembered, the sobs racked through his body. Catherine let go of Warrick, and hugged Nick. "I love her," Nick said softly. Catherine had no time to answer, because Grissom came at that moment. He looked older than he ever had, and tearstains were evident on his cheeks.

"She is in surgery; all we can do now is wait," he said. Nick continued sobbing, and he sat down, disbelieving of what was going on at that very moment. It seemed that God was absent from his life. Every time he fell in love, something happened to ruin it. He had no idea why he deserved this punishment, Nick was always sure he was good. Now even, what had he, or more importantly Sara, done to deserve this? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. She had always been a good CSI, way too immersed in her morals maybe, but there was nothing wrong with that. For the first time in his life, he prayed, "Please God," he pleaded, "Let her live."


	4. Reflections

A/N: Sorry it had been so long guys! Don't worry, I've been writing a lot, but I just got a job and had to do all sorts of training for it, I was playing tennis, and I had to juggle school into that mess…well here is the chapter! Please review, it gives me more motivation to write faster, and you'll get the chapters thrown faster. I would like to give a BIG thanks to Cranky McCrankster, Space-Case7029, EquestrianBabe, yendys, and last but not least, CSIFan4Life for reviewing. And I would like to thank Irken Gir, and EquestrianBabe for betaing.

_**Chapter 4: Reflections**_

_**By: CSIindiegurl**_

_**Date: 5/16/05**_

_**Time of story: Sometime after Mea Culpa...**_

* * *

After a few hours, Grissom and Warrick fell asleep on the couch. Catherine tried to sleep, but the sound of Nick pacing was bothering her,

"Nick, you're going to wear a hole in the floor!" Catherine exclaimed, "Lie down Nicky, get some sleep." She had nothing but concern in her eyes. Nick sighed.

"How can I sleep? The single most important person in my life is dying and you expect me to sleep?" he stated in a loud whisper so as to not wake anybody up. An awkward silence followed.

"Do you really love her?" Catherine curiously asked.

"I think so," he began, "I mean; she's beautiful, and intelligent. She knows what she wants and doesn't settle for less, but she is still sensitive and caring," he admitted.

"That's the same thing you said I was," Catherine recalled.

"You know that it would never have worked between us," he argued, sitting next to her.

"I know Nick, I guess in a way I've always been jealous of Sara."

"What do you mean?" Nick queried.

"Well, when I first heard about her you remember my reaction," she chuckled uncomfortably.

"Yeah, 'We don't need someone from the outside!'" Nick mocked. Catherine nudged him and continued, "She always was really nice; whenever I was in a rage she seemed calm and collected. You guys were always together; that disturbed me. She blocked me out of Eddie's case; she didn't do her best to find who killed him. She gained Grissom's favor after working for him for a couple of months while I gained it by working with him for years. She sometimes got on my nerves when a domestic violence case disturbed her emotionally so I yelled at her and I tried to get her fired." Tears rolled out of her eyes and Nick held her to his chest. "Am I a horrible person?"

"No Catherine, of course not," he whispered into her ear. She nodded quickly, and soon fell asleep. He lay her down tenderly, stood up, and continued pacing. The last thing he remembered was leaning against a wall for support.

Grissom awoke with a sharp pain in his side. He sat up and realized that his pen was digging into his side. Might as well get up, he thought.

Looking around, he saw Warrick and Catherine spread onto two couches, and Nick was asleep against a wall. Grissom stood up to wake Nick up and offer for him to sleep on the couch.

"Nick," he called. Nick stirred a little and went back to sleep, "Nick! Nicky wake up," Grissom called a little more forcefully. This woke Nick up.

"I wasn't sleeping," he answered stubbornly, wiping his face.

"You lie down and get some more sleep, I'll wake you up if I get any news," He patted Nick, who looked uncertain, on the back. "Promise?" he asked.

"Of course, now go to sleep." As soon as Nick lay down, he fell fast asleep. Grissom looked at the three sleeping figures. Warrick, Catherine, Nick, Sara, and Greg were all he ever had. They were his family, kids he could look after. People he was proud of. His thoughts went to Sara. She had no family, a brother who went to jail for possession and an abusive mother who stabbed her dad when she was just a little girl. How she could get through all this pain and only start feeling the effects now were amazing to Grissom. He was pulled out of his silent reverie when he saw a nurse heading towards him.

"How is Sara?" he immediately asked.

"Are you family?" the nurse asked Grissom.

"The closest she has," he answered truthfully. The nurse nodded.

"Are they with you?" she asked pointing to the three sleeping figures.

"Yes."

"Do you want to wake them up?" No sooner had she said that when Nick sat up slowly in his seat.

"Pager" he said blearily. He looked up at the nurse and nearly screamed,

"How is Sara?" At this sound, everyone else woke up.

"She'll be fine. You can just visit her tomorrow. There isn't any lasting damage. The bullet just grazed her skin, and she has a minor fracture on her arm." She waved the four CSIs out of the waiting room and went to do her job. Grissom almost skipped over to his car, got in and drove off rather quickly. Warrick and Catherine drove away in the same car, and Nick made his way over to the car. He felt like singing show tunes at the top of his lungs, but he also felt like sleeping.

* * *

The next day, after buying candy for Greg and flowers for Sara, Nick went to the hospital. He decided to see Greg first; he was almost too scared to visit Sara.

"Can you tell me where Greg Sander's and Sara Sidle's rooms are located?" he asked the receptionist. "Yes, Room 714 for Mr. Sanders and room 916 for Ms. Sidle; elevators are on your left," she answered while looking through some papers. Nick nodded and walked over to a pair of double doors and pushed the "up" button. After he emerged from the elevator on the proper floor, he saw Greg. Greg's right eye was covered by gauze and his left eye fared no better. He had a cast on his right leg and his arm was up in a sling. He had abrasions all over his body, but still managed to crack a half-smile when he saw Nick.

"Hey," he weakly began.

"Hey," Nick said sympathetically sitting down, feeling a lot of pain for one of his best friends.

"How are you?" Greg asked, trying to smile, but his injuries prevented him from it.

"You look like shit," Nick said trying to break the ice. "How are you holding up?" Greg managed another half-smile and he started talking in a creaky voice.

"Not very well, my chest hurts…apparently I had a rib fracture that was so bad that they had to go in and re-set the bone." He took another deep breath, "it hurts so much. How's Sara?" he asked, clutching his chest with his good hand, which was not short of bandages, Nick noted.

"She had to go in for several procedures, but the doctors say that she'll be alright. I hope so," Greg sadly looked at Nick and then tried to say something fun,

"One good thing about the hospital is that drugs are legal!" he said trying to lighten the mood. Nick didn't fall for it, he still looked off into the distance. "Nick, I would be in a lot more pain if they didn't use Demerol, I'm sure they have her so that she isn't in pain." Nick smiled softly.

"Yeah," he said, "You're probably right, are you going to be okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, doctors think I could go home within this week."

"That's great!"

"Yeah." Greg's eyes slowly closed, and then reopened. Nick took this as his clue to leave.

"You look tired; get some rest, and I'll come back to visit you later."

Greg was so drugged up, he couldn't even argue. Soon, he fell asleep. Nick left with the flowers and meandered up to Sara's level. The sign said ICU; he took a deep breath and went to the receptionist.

"Um, I'm here to see Sara Sidle," he nervously spoke to the stern-looking lady.

"I don't know if I should let you see her…" she said, eyeing him carefully.

"Please, a nurse told me I could see her," he explained.

"How do I know that you aren't lying?" she asked

"Because she is someone who means a lot to me, and I brought her flowers. If you don't let me see her I think that I will go crazy, and you don't want that do you?" he babbled.

"Hello," the nurse from the previous night came up to Nick, "I assume you are here to see Ms. Sidle; she is doing so much better! I'm sure you can see her." The nurse led Nick past the stern receptionist. "Don't mind her," the kind nurse explained, "Her bark is worse than her bite. She's scared a lot of people here, it makes her happy, but I don't really know why. Anyway, here we are!" Nick quietly walked beside Sara and sat down. There were bandages everywhere, her leg was severely fractured, and a large white bandage was visible beneath the hospital gown.

"Sara," he choked up, "I know you can hear me, but you can't speak, so I'll do the talking." He stroked her hand. "Your smile isn't something I see to often, but it has always made my day." Tears were already beginning to form in his eyes, "Sara, please listen. You mean a lot to me, and you've filled up a hole that's been in my life that Krysti Hopkins couldn't even fill. I don't want to lose you. I can't even begin to express the fear and sadness that I felt last night when I thought I lost you! I wish I could hold you and feel your arms around me. Sara, I love you." Full tears fled out of his brown eyes as he continued reflecting and pouring his heart out to her. "We've been friends for five years now and I would love to say that it was love at first sight but it wasn't. I felt love for you only recently, now my days are shorter and happier when I see you, and longer and slower when I don't. Sara, please don't die." He broke into sobs and cried against the rail. Suddenly, the heart monitor sped up and her blood pressure increased. The next few moments passed in a blur for Nick. Doctors ran in and ushered Nick out. The last image he saw of Sara was the doctors pulling out their paddles and shocking life into her slender body.

* * *

Like it? hate it? please review!

love

Medha


	5. Healing

(A/N) I know most of you have exams, so I'll forgive you. PLEASE REVIEW! Ah well, here is the next chapter

Chapter 5: Healing

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Catherine stopped by later to visit Sara. She let Nick take time off until Sara got better. Nick silently accepted; he had no will to argue. Catherine hugged him and started to walk back down the hall.

Warrick parked the car and was heading towards the hospital when Catherine walked outside. She rushed into his arms.

"Cath, what's wrong?" he asked

"Oh Warrick, Sara's comatose and Nick is just sitting there. I don't think I've ever seen him like this. We've lost him, Warrick, until Sara gets better; he's as good as dead."

"We all are," he replied.

"Let's go." He put his arm around her shoulders and they walked to their Denali. Nick sat in a hospital chair with his head in his hands. Why do I deserve this? Did I do anything wrong? He thought. He just sat there for the next few days: he didn't eat, sleep, and he was nothing but a shell. A nurse came out one day.

"Are you with Ms. Sidle?" Nick stood and nodded expecting the worst, "She's going to be fine."

"What happened?"

"The bullet wound turned out to be deeper than we thought, and she had some hemorrhaging." Nick nodded, closing his eyes to try and block his tears of joy.

"Can I see her?" he asked.

"Sure, she's awake now." Nick ran into her room.

"Sara."

"Nick," she croaked.

"Oh my god, are you okay?"

"I've been better," she turned her head painfully to a chair. "Sit down," she commanded. Nick sat down slowly in the chair, and a wave of nausea hit him. "What happened?" she asked.

"Nothing." They looked at each other for a while. Sara had more bandages, and she had more painkillers coming in intravenously, "Do you want to talk about it?" She looked up painfully.

"Sure," replied Sara. He was kind of surprised that she would open up to him like this.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Are you going to record it?" She replied by asking another question.

"No."

"Please do."

"Why?"

"Because I want those bastards behind bars." He nodded and pulled out a recorder.

"Ready when you are," He said. She began as he pressed the record button.

"Well, Greg and I were…" she paused to catch her breath and then she resumed:

* * *

"…driving to the lab and we were listening to the radio. I had it on the Country station to annoy Greg when he turned it off,

'Hey, I was listening to that!'

'If I have to listen to another hint of country, I swear!' We laughed as we continued driving.

"The car started to slow down, so Greg stopped to check it out."

'DAMN!' he yelled.

'What?' I poked my head out of the window.

The tire was damaged beyond repair, there must've been some shattered… ("Can you still do this?" Nick asked. Sara nodded) glass on the road. Greg took his vest and belt off to see if he could fix the tire. I took his things and stepped inside the car to put it away. Suddenly, I heard footsteps. I looked outside from the back of the car, and a masked man pulled out a gun and held it at Greg's head.

'Don't move,' he told him. Greg put his hands up. 'Stand up,' Greg stood up, fear evident in his eyes. I knew I had to do something, so I pulled out my gun and stepped outside. I was about to grab the son of a bitch when his sidekicks grabbed me from the behind.

'RUN, SARA!' Greg yelled as one of the men punched him. I didn't need to be told twice, my instincts kicked in and I ran across the street, a shot rang out and hit me on the side. I still ran faster, but one of the men caught up with me and I felt a hard blow on my head. I fell over, crying. When I woke up, Greg was kneeling next to me, trying to clean my head wound. The car was gone. I was in a lot of pain from the gun shot, but there was also a lot of pain down here. (She indicated her lower abdomen) I had an idea of what happened, but I just didn't want to believe it.

'Greg,' I began weakly, 'Was I raped?' He gave me a painful look that confirmed my worst fears. I nodded and then had a new thought, 'Run to the lab and get help.' He seemed hesitant to leave my side.

'Sara, I…I…I can't leave you,' he told me.

'Greg, they took all of our belongings, go, just leave me here.'

'No, Sara, I can't.' He put his hand in mine.

'Go you idiot, just run. Don't worry about me, and if you can make it, maybe I might even live.' This convinced him and he slowly stood up.

'Are you…'

'Go,' I pleaded. He ran awkwardly back to the lab. As he rushed off, I painfully tried to get up, I could feel how sprained and sore my body was, and I could tell where my leg was broken. Nevertheless, I tried to stand up. I was really dizzy from the numerous instances from the night, my gunshot wound hurt, my lower stomach hurt, my head and my legs hurt. I finally forced myself to stand, the guardrail supporting me.

* * *

…A wave of pain came over my body at full force and then I woke up and you were next to me." Nick pressed stop on the recorder. "How is Greg?" she asked, almost dreading the answer.

"He's okay; he was in recovery when I saw him last."

"Not anymore," a voice said from the doorway.

"GREG!" Sara hoarsely exclaimed as the young man hobbled in on crutches. He handed her a bouquet of carnations. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Thanks," she said, her eyes lighting up as she saw the carnations.

"No prob, the doctors discharged me early, so I got something for you." Sara grinned at Greg. They animatedly started talking to each other, and they didn't even notice when Nick sadly walked out of the room. Five minutes later, Sara noticed that he was gone.

"Where's Nick?" she asked. Greg shrugged.

"Must've left," he answered.

"Without saying goodbye?" she said. She looked on the verge of tears. Greg noticed her sadness.

"I'll just go now," he said knowing that she would want to be alone. He kissed her forehead and hobbled out.

Sara thought about Nick. She always had a secret "thing" for him, but she always thought that Grissom was the "one." Now she realized how childish it truly was, Nick had always been the "one." She longed to hear his voice with the soft Texan drawl. She longed to see his smiling face, and his soft, romantic eyes that had stars in them. She wasn't ever in love with Grissom; she was in love with Nick.

Nick slowly walked to his car when he heard, "Hey, Nick, wait!" It was Greg. He stopped allowing the younger man time to limp to where he was standing. "Why did you leave?" He asked Nick.

"I had to get to work," he lied.

"Your shift is over, its midnight." Greg pointed out, "Nick, Sara really likes you."

"How do you know?" Nick asked.

"Well did you see her face when you left? NO!"

"Does she really?"

"Yeah, have you even seen the way she looks when you're around? You know what, you are very lucky."

"I know," he smiled and walked back to Sara's room. "Hey," he said, she smiled, "I'm sorry I left."

"That's alright, just don't do it again." He turned to her and held her hand. It looked tiny compared to his.

Days passed, they sat side by side. Nick helped her stand up, and he held her hand through the hours of physical therapy. Finally it was time for her to leave the hospital and go home. Nick drove her to her small apartment. He carried her all the way to the top, hearing her protests of, "Nick, I can walk, you really don't have to." They went inside, and Sara leaned on him as he sat her down on the couch.

"It feels good to be home," She commented as Nick sat next to her, "Thank you so much. You took off from your job just for me and—"

"Shhhh…" Nick whispered, "Shut up."

"Make me," she answered looking him straight in his eyes.

"Okay." Nick leaned in dangerously close. He wrapped his hands around her back as she closed her eyes. He slowly brought his lips down to meet hers. They met softly, and the kiss was very tender and loving. He hugged her tighter while she put her hands around his neck. After they broke apart, the smile never left either face. This was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

* * *

liked it? I hope so! Well, I should have about 3 1/2 more flashback chapters left, and then we can get to the real story...that'll be fun and exiting. Well, just review and tell me which parts to fix, or if you have any plot ideas, throw them at me:D Your reviews are appreciated! thank you! 


	6. Unexpected

(A/N) Hi! Here is a weekly gift…the next chapter! Please review, I'm prepared to grovel! Ha-ha, no. Okay, thanks for reading…and without much further ado (heehee, I really love saying that, without much further ado…it sounds like a dude! Oh yeah, sorry back to the story) HERE IS CHAPTER SIX!

Disclaimer: I don't own "A moment like this" recorded by Kelly Clarkson. Nor do I own CSI.

* * *

Chapter Six: Unexpected

Author: CSIindiegurl

* * *

Their relationship blossomed. They were both very happy, sneaking around after work, grabbing a bite, maybe even just have a midnight picnic…just holding each other. Sara was beginning to smile more, and Nick, well, happiness just radiated from him. 

One day, Nick rang Sara's doorbell. Sara, who was asleep, groaned and checked her clock as the doorbell buzzed. Probably just some UPS delivery man, she thought as she drifted off back to sleep. _Buzz_! She finally got up, out of bed and walked to her door.

Nick stood outside Sara's door for a while, constantly pushing on the doorbell. Some time later, he heard shuffling inside as she opened the door.

"Nick!" she exclaimed, opening the door.

"Hi Sara!" He smiled sheepishly as he pulled out a long box, "This is for you." Sara took the box from his hands and opened it slowly, almost teasingly, for Nick who stood with his arms crossed. Finally, she ripped the wrapper off of the box and proceeded to open it. When she did, she looked inside and found two tickets for LA.

"I don't know what to say…"

"You don't have to say anything," he replied, hugging her.

"I just took a vacation," she stated.

"I took care of it."

"I knew you would." They kissed, and then Nick helped Sara pack.

They went on to the plane without any problems, and then they sat down in their seats. "Hmm…" Sara began, "First Class, very nice, but how can we afford this?"

"I'll tell you later," he replied. Once they were airborne, Nick started reading a magazine and Sara fell asleep on his shoulder.

"Please turn off all laptops, DVD players, and any electronic devices as we begin our descent into LAX. It is three o'clock in LA right now; the temperature is eighty degrees with a wind speed of five miles per hour. The weather is sunny, with a few scattered clouds. We will be landing in terminal four, concourse B. Once more, please turn off all electronic devices and fasten your seatbelts. Thank you for flying American Airlines, we hope to see you again," the flight attendant announced monotonously. Nick woke Sara.

"Hmmm?" she sleepily asked.

"We're landing." Sara put her seatback up and they both fastened their seatbelts. Soon the pilot's voice came up.

After they got their baggage, they took a shuttle to the car rental agency. "Wait here," Nick said, "I'll get the car." Sara nodded, and stood outside, waiting for Nick. He came outside with car keys ten minutes later.

"Follow me," He said, beckoning to her. They walked over to a…

"Red convertible?" Sara asked, pleasantly surprised. Nick opened the door for her.

"Milady," He grinned. Sara laughed as she stepped into the car. After throwing the luggage into the trunk, Nick sat down at the driver's seat, and started the ignition, and they drove off towards the hotel. Nick turned out towards the Disneyland exit, and he parked in front of the Marriott. Sara was already in awe from everything else, but this surprised her.

"Are we lost?" she asked.

"Nah, we're here," Nick replied, coming out of the car. Sara opened the door, and walked out looking at the size of the lobby.

"This is wonderful, Nick, thank you!" She ran into his arms, and Nick held her tightly. After checking in, they went upstairs.

"Room 1225," Nick said, putting some bags down and opening the door. The room was fairly big; it had a large window, and a balcony overlooking some houses. Sara took some bags inside while Nick followed. She turned around looking star struck.

"Nick, thanks..." she said. He smiled at her putting his hand through her brown hair. She closed her eyes and leaned into his arm and put her head silently on his chest. Nick felt something wet on his shirt, and he looked down. Sara was crying.

"Shhhh," he quietly whispered while patting her back. He looked at the clock. It read: 5:00. It was time. "Sara." He let go of her, "I've got something that will turn that frown upside down." Sara smiled, wiping her tears.

"What is it?" she shakily asked. He held three boxes out to her. One was long and lightly skinny, the other was long and deep, and the last one was smaller than the other two. "Another gift? Nick, this really is too much," Sara protested.

"Just open them," Nick told her gently. She tore the wrapper on the smallest one. When she got to the end, she saw the prettiest black earrings. There was a simple black necklace, and a beautiful bracelet, the box also contained make up. She opened the second box; it contained a pair of shoes. They shimmered in the light. Last of all, she opened the largest box. When she finally opened the box, she found a spaghetti strapped black dress.

"Nick, it's gorgeous."

"Wear it; we're going out to dinner soon anyway. Our reservations are in a couple hours." He grinned; she quickly grabbed the dress and accessories and headed towards the bathroom to change. Nick was happy that Sara was happy. He hoped that the rest of the night ran smoothly. He pulled out a suit and changed quickly.

Sara looked at herself in the mirror. Her dress hung perfectly on her body, accentuating her slender figure. The dress came up to her knees, and the makeup that she had been given matched perfectly. She pulled her hair up in an elegant French twist, and then she looked at her reflection. It should do, she thought.

Nick straightened his tie, and he then looked at himself in the mirror. He felt stiff and nervous. He didn't know if he could do this. Breathe Nick, he told himself. Just breathe. She finally came out, and Nick almost stopped breathing. Her hair was up out of her face, for once, and the dress looked so perfect on her, it seemed to be made for her.

"Sara, you look wonderful," he said. She smiled.

"Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself," she replied.

"Come on, let's go to the car. We have reservations." He opened the door for Sara as she went outside. After getting into the car, Nick drove off to Santa Monica bay. About an hour later, they arrived at the restaurant. The name of the restaurant was La Palacia. There was a fountain out front, and the valet took their car as they went in.

"Wow, Nick, this is great," she told him sweetly. He squeezed her hand as they walked in.

"Reservation for two; Stokes," Nick said putting his arm around Sara.

"Right this way," the waitress guided them. They sat down on a balcony facing the ocean. They could hear the waves crashing on the rocks. While they ate, they discussed people at the lab, and they laughed. It was great, not thinking about cadavers for once. Finally Nick leaned over to Sara.

"Sara," he began, holding her hand.

"Yes?"

"Are you finished?"

"Yeah," Sara answered somewhat disappointed.

"Let's go," Nick paid the check, and they left the restaurant. After getting out of the restaurant, Nick went towards the beach. Sara didn't question him; at least they could look at the moon over the water. When they got there, they took off their shoes, and walked along the beach, hand in hand.

"It's so peaceful," she commented looking at the darkened waves crashing on the sea, "When I was younger, Mom and Dad promised me many things. They promised that they would stop fighting; they promised they would take me and my brother to Disneyland. They never kept their promises, they thought I would forget…I never have," she admitted. They stopped walking and watched the birds fly over the sea, and the waves crashing on the beach. They listened to the carnival music playing in the pier in the background. Nick finally made his move.

_What if I told you it was all meant to be?_

_Would you believe me, would you agree?_

_It's almost that feeling that we've met before,_

_So tell me that you don't think I'm crazy,_

_When I tell you love has come here and now._

"Sara, the last month has been hectic for me. I almost lost you once, I won't ever lose you again." She looked at him, bewilderment etched across her face. "Sara, I love you." He held both of her hands with one of his.

_A Moment like this,_

_Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this._

_Some people search forever for that one special kiss._

_I can't believe its happening to me._

_Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this._

"What do you mean?" she asked. Nick dropped to one knee, and he pulled out a velvet box.

_Everything changes, but beauty remains._

_Something so tender I can't explain._

_Well I may be dreaming but till I awake,_

_Can we make the dream last forever?_

_And I'll cherish all the love we share for_

_A moment like this_

"Will you do me the honor of becoming Sara Stokes?" Sara held her breath as he opened the box. There was a ring inside, it was a single diamond set in a platinum band "Will you marry me?" Thoughts jumbled through Sara's mind. It was so unexpected.

_Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this._

_Some people search forever for that one special kiss._

_I can't believe its happening to me._

_Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this._

"I…um…I," was all she could think to say. Nick stood up, and he turned around and walked to the car understanding if she didn't want to. Suddenly, the full weight of what he asked her hit Sara.

_The speed of waiting love of all_

_I want to know that you will catch me when I fall._

_So let me tell you this._

_Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this..._

"Yes!" she yelled. Nick turned around, and he held out his arms. She ran towards him, dropping her shoes to jump into his arms. He laughed, and pulled her up, circling her around, and then finally bringing her down to kiss her.

_Some people search a lifetime for a moment like this._

_Some people search forever for that one special kiss._

_I can't believe its happening to me._

_Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this.  
_

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The ending was a little cliché, I'm sorry.I'm bad at romance, tell me if it was okay or not! crosses fingers remember, I update faster if I get good reviews! See the little "go" box on the bottom? Well, click it, and then you will get a page with a text box, well tell me if you liked or hated the story! Thanks! 


	7. Preparations

**Preparations**

"Nick!" Sara yelled. She was in the process of packing her bags, when a pair of strong arms grabbed her waist and lifted her up. Laughing, Nick lay her down on the bed, kissing her soundly. Sara pulled him down with her and they lay in that position for a while.

"We have to go soon," Sara stroked Nick's hair.

"I know." He kissed her forehead, "This has been like a dream, I can't believe it's over."

"Well, there is the wedding," Sara pointed out.

"I know, I can't wait," he said, putting his hand on her cheek. She closed her eyes, breathing heavily, "Let's get married now," he suggested.

"What?"

"Yeah, we've got three hours before our flight, let's just get married."

The look on Sara's face was absolutely priceless. She stood up quickly, almost knocking Nick over.

"Nick," she laughed, "I was thinking a bigger wedding maybe."

"Damn, I almost got away with it." Nick stood up smirking.

"Well, are you done packing?" Sara asked.

"Yes mommy," Nick said innocently.

"Then, let's go." Sara picked up her luggage, and Nick followed close behind. They quickly checked out, returned the car, and got their boarding passes for the flight. Boarding was pretty much uneventful, the whole one and one half our flight was boring as well. Nick listened to some music, and Sara slept, so that she could be alert at work. When she explained that to Nick, he casually whispered in her ear.

"Workaholic." She stuck her tongue out at him and fell asleep on Nick's shoulder. Pretty soon, Nick fell asleep as well. He woke up to find Sara nudging him awake.

"We're home," she whispered into his ear. Just the feel of her breath made Nick's heart take flight. They got their baggage, and they drove to the Crime Lab.

As soon as they walked in to the break room, they heard cheers from everyone. Greg was by far the loudest yelling choruses of, "For they're a jolly good couple, for they're a jolly good couple, for they're a jolly good couple, which nobody can deny!"

"How did you know?" Sara asked while being pulled into a hug by Warrick.

"Nick told us before you left, I mean, Ecklie would've never let you go otherwise!" Catherine exclaimed.

"Hold on, Ecklie knows?" Sara asked.

"Not only does Ecklie know, but he also approves of it, to some extent,"

Ecklie said pushing through the crowd over to the flustered couple.

Ecklie had changed since Nick had been buried. He had understood the real weight of being a CSI. He developed a soft spot for the Texan, and had eventually fulfilled Grissom's request to put the team back together. "As long as this engagement doesn't get in the way of your performance here, then you can still work on the same shift." He turned around and walked out, "Back to work!" he called, but that still didn't stop people from congratulating them.

Nick and Sara didn't get to see much of each other on shift. Nick was with Warrick on a breaking and entering on the strip. It was a fairly easy call, and the robber wasn't very smart. It took them all of two minutes to catch the guy. They stopped at a roadside diner to eat dinner.

"Warrick, I was wondering," he began. Warrick turned and looked at Nick.

"Yes?"

"Will you be my best man at the wedding?" Nick hopefully asked. Warrick sighed.

"Now why wouldn't I be?" Nick grinned. They went back to the lab discussing Nick's plans for the wedding.

"I was thinking Christmas, a little clichéd, but my parents and siblings can come and see it," he started, "Sara is going to look so beautiful," he said.

"I know she is," Warrick agreed.

"I'm boring you out aren't I?" Nick asked, smiling a little

"Nah, you're fine, you're happy, and that's all that matters," Warrick grinned.

"Ever since I was buried, I never really thought that this could ever happen," Nick said after a while.

"What?"

"That I could get over it, that I could live again. That I could just let the whole ordeal go. I mean, when I was lying in the hospital, and you guys visited me, I thought I would never be the same. I'm not, I'm more cautious, but Sara is the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Nick, do you mind me asking, when did you realize you had feelings for her?"

"Why do you ask?"

"It all seems kind of sudden, after Sara's accident, you were like, I love her. Did the realization just hit you or something?"

"No, it didn't. I mean I think it started when I was in the hospital. I had bug bites all over me. They were hurting, even though the doctors had a morphine drip there. I felt a cool rag on my forehead, and I looked up and thought I saw an angel."

"It was Sara wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but I was just waiting for that angel every single day to put that cool cloth on my forehead. Sometimes, she would be there, other times, she wouldn't. I think that when I realized it was Sara, I wanted her to be my angel. When I got out of the hospital, I dismissed all those thoughts as craziness. I thought that I was delusional. When Sara almost died, I really realized that what I had for her was love. This sounds really cheesy, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does," Warrick laughed, "But if it makes you happy, stay cheesy. Have a happily ever after marriage. I'm so happy for you bro." Warrick clapped Nick on the back as they got out of the car.

Later that day, Nick and Sara sat on Sara's balcony drinking iced tea, and enjoying each other's company. Nick put his arm around her, and she leaned into his embrace.

"I was wondering," Nick began, "When did you first know you were in love with me?" Sara blushed, and looked up at Nick.

"Ever since that incident of you being, you know…"

"Buried," Nick finished for her, wincing a little at the thought.

"Well, I had a lot of time to think, and I thought how my life would be different without you. And I knew that I couldn't survive," Sara wiped at some of the tears forming, "I almost broke down when we couldn't find you, and when we did, I was kind of confused. What was I feeling? Was it love? Was it friendship? I've never really had that feeling before, so I dismissed it. When you came to visit me in the hospital, I realized how much you meant to me. I've been blinded by Grissom. He's more like a father figure to me, seeing as I never really had a great father, it was attractive. But he was never the one'," Nick smiled and kissed her hair tenderly.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You know, same question." Sara smiled a little. Nick grinned and told her the same thing he told Warrick. Sara blushed a lot when he called her an angel.

Lying there in Nick's arms was the greatest thing that happened to Sara.

Finally, her life was going uphill. Nick suddenly broke the silence.

"Sara, we haven't discussed our wedding. I was thinking Christmas," Nick suggested.

"Yeah, sure," Sara agreed.

"Warrick is going to be my best man. Do you know who's going to be your maid of honor?" Nick asked.

"Catherine," Sara said.

"What? I thought you didn't like Catherine."

"Well, we talked today, and we both apologized for being insufferable bitches to each other. She was a good friend when I needed her, and I tried to be good when she needed me," Sara smiled, "So I asked her to be my maid of honor, and she nearly choked on her soda."

"Really, okay, um, we've got to start writing it down!" Sara quickly went inside and grabbed a notepad, and they discussed their plans for the rest of the day. It was so great for Sara. Two years ago, if someone told her she was getting married, she would've scoffed. Now, she was finally doing it! I'm going to be a wife, she thought happily.

* * *

Well, that was the seventh chapter which is setting the stage for the marriage. (Which is next chapter), I need some help because I have no idea how to plan a wedding (the Catholic way), because I'm not catholic, I'm Hindu…so email me if you want to help me, or just leave it in a review…but if u are anonymous, put your email down. Thanks! 


	8. The Marriage

(A/N) Here's the looooong awaited CHAPTER 8. I'm so sorry it wasn't up sooner. I was dealing with the grief of losing someone very dear and close to me, my grandfather. I haven't had time to come up with the latest addition, because school has started for me as well, so I have deep apologies to each and every one of you. I would like to dedicate this chapter to my grandfather.

**Dedication:**

_Jadunath Gupta_

_Beloved Grandfather and Close Friend_

_November 30, 1931- July 30, 2005_

**Chapter 8**: The Marriage.

**By:** Medha Gupta

**Dated**: October 6, 2005

Thoughts swum around in Nick's head as he woke up. I'm going to be married to Sara Sidle, he thought. He took a deep breath. He missed seeing her every night, but he was strangely excited. Tonight, he was going to stop being single, and he was going to be married. Marriage, the word rung inside of his head, a whole new world was coming up for him. The thought overwhelmed him, Warrick came in; he had spent the night at Nick's so that he could start preparing as soon as he woke up.

"Do you have the tuxedos?" Nick asked.

"They're coming," Warrick replied.

"The rings?"

"Came from the engravers just now," Warrick replied holding them up. Nick looked at the band, he was very pleased. The band, "Me + You Forever. He smiled when he saw the rings, and his stomach jumped up and down. Warrick grinned, "Nick, we're losing you to Sara."

"We?"

"Single men."

"I thought you were married," Nick wondered out loud.

"Tina and I got divorced a couple of weeks ago, I mean, it just didn't work out. She was seeing another guy," Warrick looked sad.

"I'm so sorry," Nick said.

"It's ok, I never loved her anyway. It was a spur of the moment decision to marry her. Anyways, today is all about _you _and how much you love the girl." Warrick clapped Nick on the back. Nick hugged him in return.

"Guess we have to go out into the battle zone," Nick said. His family was here from texas, all twenty one of them. And this was just his immediate family. His grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles etc.. were all staying at the hotel. But Nick had insisted that his mom and dad stayed, and then his brothers and sisters sent him on a guilt trip until he actually caved.

They both went out into the main dining room, and Gillian Stokes was cooking some breakfast. Nicks father, Bill, and his brothers and sisters, Henry, Sydney, Abby, Lennie, and Valerie were sitting at the table. Henry was the oldest, next Sydney and Abby, Lennie, Valerie, and Nick was the youngest. They were all already married. Henry's wife Jasmine, a beautiful Hawaiian girl, was busy feeding their two kids: Amber and Calliegh. Sydney was married to a New Yorker named Drew, he was still sleeping, and she had one kid, Erin. Abby was married to a Hispanic doctor in Los Angeles, Eduardo Sanchez; Abby also had one kid, Anita. Lennie was married to a Bostonian girl, Rachel, he met her when he went to Harvard (He was the doctor in the family), and they had three kids, two of which were twins, Ashley, Allie, and the ten month old, Chelsea. Valerie was a lawyer, and she also married one. She lived in Orlando and had one kid, Luke. Nick had a rather large family, and a small apartment. How he fit them all into his apartment, he had yet to figure out.

"Well, there's the last of the single Stokes!" Henry said as Nick walked in. Henry had been a bit disappointed when he wasn't named best man at Nick's wedding. After all, he was the older brother. But he smiled and got over it. After all, he did love his brother, and he hardly ever got to see him anyway. He was content in being the head usher. Nick smiled and sat down,

"Mmmm, mom, what did you make?" He asked. She put a plate of pancakes right in front of him. They all ate, and laughed and talked. Pretty soon, everyone was awake and having a blast. The kids, whose ages ranged from sixteen years to ten months old, were all in the large bedroom. They had already eaten their breakfast. As soon as they finished, they all started getting ready for the wedding which was set to start at eleven. The kids were pinched, prodded, poked, and they were ready first. And then the adults were ready. Nick hoped Sara was fine, and not nervous. Most of all, he hoped that she didn't back down. Oh God, what if she does? He thought. Warrick, sensing his hesitation, came up to him.

"Don't worry," He said, "She loves you too much." Nick smiled. They all got ready and headed to the Venetian; they would get married inside the beautiful wedding chapel. The reception was going to be held in one of their ballrooms. The whole thing seemed surreal to Nick as they drove over. Nick didn't want to arrive in a limousine; however they did rent a large van accommodating all twenty two of them. The smile never once left Nick Stokes' face.

As Sara walked down the aisle, Nick's jaw dropped. She never once let him see her dress, and Catherine was the only one who had seen it before. Her hair was pinned up, and curls framed her delicate face. A small tiara was delicately placed under her veil, and all her veil come down to her mid-back. Her dress was a stunning white with silver sparkles, she shimmered in the light. It wasn't a ballroom dress, but it flared out at the bottom all the same. All traces of death were wiped away from her face, and in its place was the most gorgeous of make up. She was an angel touched down from earth today. Nick's heart rate sped up, and he felt a strange sensation. She came down with Grissom, which was in a way ironic, because, she had a crush on him for the longest time. Before he knew it, she was where he was supposed to take her arm. He did everything as he was supposed to, self conscious of his own appearance. Nick didn't feel as if he was good enough for her, all traces of doubt were wiped away when they stood at the altar. The ceremony was beautiful within itself. As they finished saying the vows, the priest said the best part of the whole ceremony (in Nick's opinion), "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Nick immediately grabbed Sara and kissed her, everyone smiled. "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I now present Mr. and Mrs. Nick Stokes." Nick and Sara walked down the aisle amidst clapping and words like "Congratulations," or, "Mommy, is he her Prince Charming?"

The theme for the reception was a Winter Garden. Fake snowflakes lined the rooms, and white flowers were placed everywhere.

"This is great," Sara said, "Everything is so beautiful and perfect." She squeezed Nick's hand.

"You look beautiful," Nick said.

"Thanks," Sara kissed him. They cut the cake, and soon it was time for Warrick to give his speech.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, when Nick asked me to be his best man, I couldn't refuse. Ever since, I was thinking of the perfect speech for my best friends wedding. Nick, Sara, I've known you guys for a long time. Nobody has shown more love for each other than you two, and nobody has cared that much for each other, at least, that I know of," he turned to the audience, "You guys have been tested, a lot, but your love has never wavered, its never even hinted at going away. Nick, you've always been like a brother to me, and now, I have a new sister. Good luck you two." He smiled and stepped off, and hugged both Nick and Sara. Sara kissed him on the cheek, which surprised Warrick.

"Hey big bro," she said. Warrick smiled and gave her another hug. Catherine then stepped up on the platform and walked up to the mike.

"When I first met Sara, I don't know why, but she seemed different than anyone else I had met. She was always amazingly smart, although maybe she would say too much. As I got to know her, we became okay friends, albeit we weren't like sisters. So when she asked me to be her maid of honor, I was like, what? But as I have gotten to know her over the past few months, she has become like a sister to me. But enough about me, this isn't about me. It's about Nick and Sara. What can I say about Nick and Sara? They're some of my closest friends and colleagues, so when my best friends are happy, I'm very happy, and I hope that they are happy forever. Not hope, actually, I know that they'll be happy forever." She also smiled and embraced the happy couple.

"Great speech," Sara said.

"Yeah, awesome Cath," Nick echoed. He laughed and hugged her. The rest of the reception was amazing. The music they played was fun and enjoyable…but night was quickly approaching. As the last dance came to a close, everyone ushered Nick and Sara to the elevators and to their luxury suite. They headed towards the lobby where they were pinched and prodded by old ladies who thought that they were the "sweetest things." They grabbed the first elevator, and it was thankfully empty. Nick embraced Sara.

"Hey, Mrs. Stokes," he said holding onto her waist and whispering into her hair. He put his hand on Sara's face, and felt tears. He pushed her chin up, and she looked at him. "Sara, don't cry…what's wrong?" He asked.

"Nick, you idiot, I'm just too happy for words." She buried her head into his tux. Nick stroked her hair.

"Sara, I love you," Nick said.

"I love you too."

"I hope this is forever."

"Of course it is," Sara replied.

They watched the elevator doors open into the beautiful suite that encompassed the entire floor. Nick quickly picked Sara up and carried her over the threshold.

"Ready?" He asked.

"When you are." Sara replied. He kissed her, picked her up, took her inside the bedroom, and closed the door.

* * *

"After that, we had you, Christina. Three years later, we had Emily, and then seven years later, you were born, Alyssa. We fought like any other married couple, and then one day, she never came back. I don't even remember what the fight was about, or what we said, all I remember was the door slamming, and Catherine telling me that they couldn't find Sara." Nick said. He looked at his children, the only remaining reminder of his amazing wife. 

"Did they run an investigation?" Christina asked.

"Yeah, for four months. Then Grissom had to close it, he had no choice. She was gone, and she was probably dead by then." Nick said, his eyes more distant than ever.

"Do you believe that?" Emily asked.

"No, not one word of it." Nick replied. He turned and looked at Alyssa who had fallen asleep on the couch. The clock read 2:13 AM.

"Go to bed now, Chris, you want to tuck Alyssa in?" Nick asked kissing her.

"Sure," Christina said kissing him. He then kissed Emily, and lastly Alyssa. He went into his room, and sobbed.

"Sara, I know you're out there, come back! I need you, the girls need you!"

* * *

A/N: OMG I know its been like forever. Once again, read it and review please. You know the little purple button on the bottom left hand side of your monitor? Well, constructive criticism is appreciated. Um, once again, I don't like flames. Uh, yeah, it won't be four+ months before I update again. I'm really really really really really really really really really really sorry. Well, review! 


	9. Average life

"Dad," Emily said as she walked into the room. It was a Saturday about a week after Nick had told them the story. They had the hanging remembrance of their mother, and they felt some closure. It was the beginning of December, and they had just started their Christmas decorations. Emily and Christina prepared a duet for their performance in the Winter Festival at their high school, and Alyssa was going to play the piano.

"Yeah honey?" Nick answered dragging a long box that contained the Christmas tree into their living room.

"Um, Alex Parker asked me to go to the Winter Ball with him," She said. Nick looked up at her.

"So, what are you asking?" Nick dragged it out as long as he could as he frantically thought of what to say.

"Can I go with him?" She asked sweetly.

"Emily, I don't know," Nick began.

"Please, please, please?" Emily pleaded.

"Emmy, do you think you're ready for something like this? I mean, are you ready for a serious relationship? You're only fifteen!"

"Dad, I know, but I think I am. I'm almost sixteen, I've been doing all my homework, I mean, I don't even know if we'll go out afterwards. Please?" She looked up and managed the sweetest expression she could. Nick sat on the couch and gestured her over. She leaned into his shoulder as he stroked her hair.

"You girls are growing up so fast. Yeah, Drew can take you, but as long as you stay safe. You know your boundaries, right?" He raised his eyebrow up.

"Yeah," She smiled, kissing his cheek, "I do Dad, thanks." She wrapped her arms around him. She picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello?" She spoke, "Oh my god, Clarisse. You will never guess who asked me out to the dance…." she paused, "Alex Parker asked me to go to the Winter Ball with him," She screamed into the phone. Nick smiled and looked at the long box; its contents were waiting to be assembled. Christina ran into the room, she looked very excited.

"Dad," she said, "I was looking through the mail, and guess what I found." She held something behind her back looking very excited. Nick pretended to look confused.

"Um, a letter from Grandma," he said.

"No," She held an envelope into his face. The envelope had the Stanford insignia on it.

"Oh my God Chris, you got in? I didn't even know you applied!" Nick looked pleasantly shocked.

"I don't know that yet, but I wanted us all to open it together." She sat down.

"Call your sisters," He said. Alyssa marched into the room smiling widely. She sat down on Nick's lap.

"Did you want me for something?" She asked sweetly. Nick pushed her hair back.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"Nothing," she said.

"Alyssa," his voice was stern.

"I took a lollipop," She looked down guiltily. Her dad had a talent for squeezing confessions out of people, she wondered why.

"Where is it?" Nick asked.

"I ate it," She answered.

"You ate it?" Nick smiled picking her up and stood up. He threw her up in the air and caught her. Christina walked out into the hall.

"Emily!" She called.

"What?"

"Come down!"

"I'm on the phone."

"Well this is important." A loud sigh was heard as Emily came stomping down the stairs, phone in hand.

"Well, Clarisse I can't talk to you anymore, can I call you back? I don't know, something just demanded immeasurable importance. Oh I know! Bye," she hung up, "What?" She asked.

"Your sister just got a letter from Stanford," Nick said.

"You applied?" Emily looked surprised. All memories of phone calls vanished, she excitedly sat down. Nick put Alyssa down, and they both sat on the couch. Christina started opening the envelope.

"I can't do it!" She exclaimed, handing the envelope to Nick. He gently opened the envelope. There was complete and utter silence in the room as he looked at the paper folded inside.

"Christina," He said, his face full of shock, "They say that you have been accepted…with honors." He put the letter down, tears came to his eyes. "If I've ever had any doubts about my ability to raise you girls, this is where it all disappears. I am so proud of you Christina, and I hope that you can maintain this pride," He said. Nick stood up and wrapped his arms around his daughter, Christina smiled.

"Dad, do you think mom would've been proud as well?"

"Yeah, honey I think she would've been, maybe she's watching us from up there," He pointed up, "Oh Christina, congratulations. Do you want anything special?"

"No, no thank you," She smiled and ran upstairs.

"I get the phone!" Emily yelled as she sprinted behind.

"I'm using my cell, smart one!"

Nick laughed as Alyssa ran outside to play with the neighbors. His daughters were growing up so fast. Christina had made it into a prestigious college, Emily was one of the top students in her class, and Alyssa was just zooming through everything that third grade taught her.

"Sara," He said looking up, "You really would've been proud." He walked outside and saw Greg coming up his lawn.

"Hey Greg," He said. Greg lived two houses down from Nick, so they would visit each other often. Greg's daughter, Taylor, was very good friends with Alyssa. Greg had gotten married to a really sweet girl from England named Amelia who was transferred to Las Vegas two years after Nick and Sara's wedding. Greg eventually had the nerve to ask her out, they hit it off very well. A year later, they got married. Christina was 2 years old, and Sara was six months pregnant.

* * *

"_You look gorgeous, miss Maid of Honor" Nick said as Sara stepped out in her bridesmaid outfit._

"_You don't look too bad yourself, mister Best Man," She kissed him. He rubbed her swollen stomach gently. _

"_Hey there," he whispered softly, leaning down and kissing her belly. Christina plodded into the room, her dress was all bunched up. _

"_Poopie," she said with authority. Sara looked down giggling; she lifted her up and took her to the bathroom. _

"_We really need to get her potty trained," Nick said over the run of the flush. Christina marched out looking satisfied. _

"_All done," she smiled and looked up at Nick. Nick leaned down and picked her up as Sara came out of the bathroom. She laughed. _

"_Well, Greg and Amelia aren't going to wait any longer, I think we should head over now. She looked at Christina who had her eyebrows furrowed into concentration as she studied her dress and itchy tights. _

"_I love you," Nick said. _

"_I love you too," Sara smiled, and they walked out the door.

* * *

_

"So, Greg, how's Amelia?" He asked. He and Greg talked for a while.

* * *

**_CSI headquarters Cincinnati:_**

* * *

"We're getting a national report for this, the DNA traces back to Las Vegas around eight years ago…a cold case." 

"Contact the department. we may be able to solve that case yet."

"Okay," The two people got up from the computer. They left the CODIS machine. On it, there was one page that said:

DNA MATCH: Cold Case, 2015

Sara Sidle

Details: Victim of a possible abduction, car found on I-15, Unsolved

* * *

(A/N) Hey! Thanks for your awesome reviews! This chapter ends with a cliffhanger, but the beginning was to show the type of family that the Stokes are. If you can kind of see, they are an average family, but they have a crucial part of their family missing.

Please R/r


	10. A New Hope

A sea of faces greeted Nick as he walked into the lab. He wondered why everyone was looking at him all of a sudden. The faces either seemed sympathetic or worried. Catherine walked up to greet him. She and Grissom shared supervisor status since Grissom was getting older and unable to handle the stresses of the lab. After marrying Sara, Grissom settled down with a woman who was equally passionate about her work as Grissom was. And Catherine and Warrick got married two months after Nick and Sara did.

"Hey," Catherine said walking with Nick. She took his arm and escorted him to her office, "We need to talk," she said.

"Yeah?" Nick figured she would want to talk to him about something or the other. Otherwise, she wouldn't have dragged him to her office. She sat down, and directed him to sit down as well.

"A couple of days ago, a girl was kidnapped from her home. She's a normal girl who is in first grade. Her name is Laura Walcott. We've tried to track her down all over the country and finally located her in Cincinnati OH. There was a crime scene with her blood present. Just a little bit though. There were three strands of DNA in the blood and around. The first was Laura's, the second's was a male's, and the third person's blood was…." Her voice trailed.

"Whose?" Nick asked.

"Sara's," Catherine said after a while. Nick sat up in the chair.

"What?"

"Nick, we think Sara may still be alive. The blood wasn't refrigerated, and it seemed to be pretty healthy. Don't jump to results though," Catherine put her hand on top of Nicks.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Nick asked, "Why not find her and surprise me?'

"Nick, can you go to Cincinnati?" Catherine asked.

"What?"

"Please, just go to Cincinnati and find Sara and Laura and bring them back. Warrick and Greg will come with you. Don't tell them about Sara though," Catherine warned.

"Why not?"

"Because we don't want to give them false hope. I wasn't even supposed to tell you" Catherine said.

"Then why the hell did you tell me?"

"Because, she's your wife. You have raised your three kids, and she may be under a lot of torture. You love her so much, and I've witnessed your change throughout the year." Nick knew she was right. He had a lot more grey in his hair, and he could see more wrinkles in his face. But he had just been given the most paramount news. His wife, alive, was she kidnapped? Did she leave on her own accord? He refused to believe the latter. Why would she leave? It was a small fight; he didn't even remember the details.

"I'll do it," He said. Catherine smiled slightly.

"Bring her back," she said, "Your flight leaves in an hour," Catherine said.

"What about my clothes?"

"Greg brought them over," Catherine answered.

"How did he know?"

"Because soon after you left, I called your home. Christina packed your things and Greg picked them up," Catherine said smartly. Nick was about to walk out, but he remembered something.

"What about the kids? I can't just leave them. Granted, Christina is eighteen," Nick was rambling on and on. Catherine put her hands on his shoulders.

"Nicky, relax, I have them staying with me. I mean, Melanie and Rachel could have some company. And what would Kayla do without her best friend?" Catherine talked about her daughters. Melanie was nine, and Rachel was fifteen, Kayla was Christina's age. They were best friends, and they were never apart. Nick always told Christina to hang out with more people, but no matter how much he tried, they just wouldn't. That was the extent of their friendship.

"Thanks," Nick said. He took the tickets and saw Greg lugging the suitcases.

"Hey Greg," Nick said, clapping his hand on Greg's back. Greg fell forward with both his and Nick's suitcases. Nick couldn't help but laugh, "Greg," he said, "We're leaving now anyway, you could've left them in the car." He held out his hand to help Greg up. Greg looked at the proffered hand and when he grabbed it, he pulled so hard that Nick fell down as well. Greg smiled as Nick glared at him playfully.

"Won't you ever grow up?" Nick asked. In return, Greg stuck his tongue out. It was so funny to see a forty year old acting like that, that Nick burst out laughing even more. Warrick walked down.

"Wow," he said, "You guys better calm down, I hear Ecklie is pretty pissed," He helped them both up. Ecklie walked up to Nick.

"Hello Stokes, I hope you're doing well," He said, concern evident in his eyes.

"I'm fine," Nick suppressed his grin.

"Well, if you need anything, my office is always open," Ecklie walked away. Greg and Warrick's jaw dropped.

"What was that about?" Warrick asked. Nick shrugged, although he knew. They all went to the airport in Warrick's car. They laughed, and reminisced about life, Greg and Warrick always managed to steer away from the topic of Sara. It wasn't because Nick was there. It was because they missed her as well. They got into the plane and flew to Cincinnati.

Snow stuck to the windows of the airplane, and ice seemed to cling to the side. It was going to be freezing. The airport seemed to be made of ice and snow. The people directing the plane were literally waddling because they were so bundled up. Nick, Warrick, and Greg only had a jacket.

"I have a feeling we'll need more than this," Warrick said.

"I know," Greg agreed. Nick was lost in his own thoughts. Sara was out here on the other side of the country for eight years. Eight years was too long for anyone to be away from his or her home. Eight years, and Alyssa could walk, talk, read, write, and even ride a bike. Eight years and Emily had started dating, gone to high school, and go through many changes. Eight years and Christina had been accepted to Stanford. Eight years was too long, but now was better than never!


	11. Paul and Amiya

The snow fell in circles. It seemed to come in from everywhere. Nick looked at the flimsy jacket he had brought and realized it wasn't enough for this kind of weather. They stepped into Cincinnati International Airport and waited for people to come and pick them up.

"Boy it sure is freezing," Greg said receiving a nod from Nick and Warrick

"Well," Warrick said, "Better call Catherine and tell her and Kay that I'm here in one piece," He pulled out his cell phone and called his family. Greg did the same, and Nick called Christina to let her know that he was okay. He didn't tell her about how their mother may actually be alive. They picked up their baggage and went to stand outside, they shivered in the cold, but soon two large Denalis pulled up and some men stepped out.

"CSI Stokes, CSI Sanders, and CSI Brown?" They asked. The three men nodded and then observed the speakers. The first was a taller man with broad shoulders, and he had a small brown beard around his chin and cheeks. He wore a large coat, hat, and gloves.

"I'm Paul, Paul Rayborne. Call me Paul," He shook their hands. The other person standing beside them was a woman of about thirty-four. She had long black hair, and clear brown eyes and brown skin. She was slightly short, but she had a presence that made up for what her height lacked.

"Hey, I'm Amiya," She smiled and shook their hands as well.

"Well we've got a lot to do, how much did your supervisor brief you guys on?" Paul asked.

"Not much," Warrick answered. Nick said nothing.

"Well, we'll brief you back at the lab, anyone can be listening here," Amiya said. Greg and Nick went with Paul in his car, while Warrick rode in Amiya's car. They headed past the river into Cincinnati, and they went to the crime lab. They stepped inside and everyone turned and looked at them.

"Back to work," Paul said. They headed over to Paul's office. It was much more decorative and much neater than Grissom's.

"I'll get the file," Amiya said and she headed in another direction. Paul nodded, and he looked at the three.

"Hey, you all must be cold. I'll make you some coffee. Meanwhile, you three go I there and have a seat, make yourselves at home!" He grinned and headed towards what must've been their break room. Greg, Nick, and Warrick went inside.

"What do you think?" Greg asked.

"I don't know, this place is nice, but not at nice as Las Vegas. It is so damn cold here too," Warrick answered.

"I mean the case," Greg said pretending to bare his fangs. Nick looked blankly at the wall, thinking of his memories of Sara.

"Hey, why are you so quiet?" Warrick asked. No sooner had he asked this, Paul and Amiya stepped into the room. They each got some coffee. Greg grimaced as he tasted his. The coffee wasn't as bad as Vegas's, but compared to his regular Blue Hawaiian, it was pretty gross. They all sipped their drinks when Amiya began passing around a photograph of a young girl.

"This is Maura Charles, she lives in Las Vegas," She began, "She was kidnapped at 1:02 AM, you guys suspect that she was kidnapped by someone that knew her and had some grievance with her family. She was traced in Cincinnati where several witnesses state that they have seen her. It is possible that anybody looks like her," She paused and Paul continued.

"We all didn't take the calls seriously until some blood in an abandoned house matched hers. Along with that blood came another unrelated DNA sample, but I suspect that it is from another kidnapping."

"Why do you think that?" Warrick asked.

"Well, because the blood was found where she was most likely imprisoned with the other victims. She had probably lent a coat or a blanket to the small girl with this woman's hair on her," Amiya continued. Nick's stomach dropped.

"So, have you identified this other victim?" Greg asked. Nick already knew what was coming. He held his breath impatiently.

"Yeah," Paul continued looking at some papers.

"Sara Sidle," Amiya said while looking at the sheet. The immediate reaction was to stare at Nick.

"Here's a picture of her," Paul continued.

"We…don't need it," Warrick said, apparently shocked. Greg had tears in his eyes. Nick had his face in his hands. Paul and Amiya were confused.

"Do you know Ms. Sidle?" He asked.

"Yes," Nick answered, "She's my wife." This was the first time in seven and a half years that he used present tense talking about Sara. It made him feel bizarre, and yet, hopeful.

"Will you guys be able to handle this case objectively?" Paul asked.

"Yeah," Nick said, "I want my wife back. I will go to the end of the world to get her back, even if it means that I can't kill the bastard who kidnapped my heart." His face seemed determined and set.

"Well, we'll…just…leave you…three…alone!" Amiya said feeling the tensions rising. She pulled Paul and they whispered quietly out of the room.

"Wow," Greg said.

"Yeah," Warrick agreed. They both looked at Nick.

"Catherine told me," he admitted.

"Eight years, and now she finally reappears. What are the odds of that?" Greg asked. Nick laughed and shrugged. She might be alive, he thought. All these years of hopelessness and hope finally surged in his heart making him feel a little queasy. Warrick patted his shoulder.

"Do you need anything?" He asked. Nick shook his head.

"No, thanks guys. I don't think that I could've survived all these years because you!" Nick smiled slightly.

"We've got a lead," Amiya poked her head through the door.

(A/N) Thanks for being so supportive guys! Please please please write a review though, it means ever so much to me! hehe, cliffie...well, tell me if you like it!


	12. Hope Fades

(A/N) SORRY for the long wait ---again! Ugh, I need to be more consistent! Sorry, I've been really busy…so um; this one is twice as good as the other ones. ? Review!

**Just Remember**

**Chapter 12: Hope Fades**

"Wait, a lead?" Nick asked, apparently shocked.

"Yeah," Amiya smiled, "Two callers identified a man, a woman, and a child. The woman and the child match the descriptions of Mrs. Stokes (is it?), ok, and Maura Charles."

"Where?" Asked Greg.

"Downtown Cincinnati, we need to hurry. Warrick, you go with Paul, Greg, you go with Ryan." A younger man about Amiya's age stepped forward and beckoned Greg. "And you can come with me," She pointed at Nick. They all walked quickly down the hall, and they met with more DNA agents. A man came up to them, he had wild crazy hair and seemed very flamboyant.

"Hey, the DNA of Sara matches two other homicides. It seems like the actual perpetrator may be using her for his murders. But he hasn't killed her yet." He smiled.

"Good Job," Paul said while smiling.

"Do I get a promotion?" He asked. Paul shook his head, "No Ray, no you don't." Nick immediately was reminded of Greg. Greg smiled as if remembering and walked faster towards the door. They stepped into the large vans and went on their way to downtown. As soon as Amiya hit Columbia Parkway, she turned on the sirens and they began speeding towards fountain square. Neither Nick nor Amiya said anything in the car. Nick felt his chest pounding and his head seemed to spin. He grabbed a hold of the seat handle and then watched as she made each bend. He looked out at the Ohio River, the brown water seemed like chocolate. Even the cloudy sky seemed nice; he had a great feeling that he would see Sara again. He felt elated, but nervous. What would he say? How would he say it? He practiced the words over and over inside his head, but nothing came to him except, _how are you? _And that sounded stupid, even inside his head. Amiya turned to him as they stopped at a red light.

"They have police officers over there…so there's no need for us to rush too much," She smiled, "You really love her don't you?" Nick smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I really do," He sighed, "Yeah, I really do." He looked out the window and gazed at downtown Cincinnati. The buildings of PNC banc, and the Carew Tower glared down on him giving him a foreboding feeling. He felt tears in his eyes, if he saw his wife today, then he would be so happy. But if he didn't, he knew that he would be completely hopeless and all of his hopes would be crushed. _Lets hope it doesn't come to that,_ he thought. They droved through the town and then finally stopped in front of Fountain Square.

"This is where they were spotted," Amiya said. The other two vans stopped behind them. Warrick and Greg stepped out and ran behind Nick who was already up there trying to drink it all in. Little Maura was lying there, already dead. The police had come too late.

"What the hell happened?" Amiya screamed. A detective walked to her and said, "The call was made by the un-sub himself from the pay-phone. He used gloves, we tried to call the lab, but they said you had left. Several witnesses talked about how they saw them sit her down. The woman almost looked like she wanted to be found, they said. But she was dragged away by the other man, they thought nothing of it, it bothered them, but nothing, in their eyes, was really going wrong. They also said that the un-sub left around fifteen minutes earlier, and he headed north.

"Why can't we follow him?" Nick asked.

"Well, the thing is, we have no way to know exactly where he went. But what we are going to do is identify his car, and then that way get where he lives," said Ryan slowly. Nick nodded; he understood that he needed to be objective. But he really wanted Sara back.

"Okay, just hurry." He sadly said. They all left, but he sat down and buried his head in his hands. Amiya stood beside him.

"You okay?" She asked while sitting down. Nick looked at her and pointed at the space beside him.

"Have you ever loved someone so much that you would go to the end of the earth for them?" He asked. She smiled.

"I'm engaged, to Ryan. So yeah, I guess I do love him; we've worked with each other for years. I would die for him." Nick smiled.

"And if he disappeared for years without a word and then reappeared, you would be elated right?" She nodded, "But what if, every time you reached out to hold him, he would be there, right in front of your hand, and you just couldn't reach him?" Nick looked at her seriously.

"I would feel worse than words can say, I would feel almost dead, and I guess it would be better for me to die myself. But there would be a little hope; it would be so small that I couldn't feel it. And then I would worry about how everyone else could take it, and soon collapse with all the emotional stress," said Amiya who started to feel sick. Nick looked at her and smiled, he realized that she wouldn't be able to handle it. And eight years ago he would've cried if anyone told him that was going to happen. He had lived so long without Sara in his life, and felt a strong emptiness when people spoke about her. He turned to Amiya.

"You can go," he said, "I'll be fine, I'll get a cab."

"No," answered Amiya, "I'm fine. I don't mind staying. They'll call us with any information."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll go get some coffee," She smiled. Nick grinned, she reminded him of Sara when she was younger. He knew he couldn't live without her knowing that she was alive. I'll find you, he thought, and you'll come back home, and we'll be a family again.


	13. Finally

(a/n) Well, sorry I was really late, my life has been like hell, and I'm not kidding….well here's the penultimate chapter of my story!

* * *

**Just Remember**

**Chapter 13: Finally**

**By Medha**

Nick looked around and sighed. The snow fell onto his nose, cheeks, and stung his ears. Amiya came back with some food and they talked about anything and everything for two hours. Nick described, in full detail, his daughters' accomplishments. He spoke of Christina's acceptance into Stanford University, Emily's Junior Statesmen of America trips, and Alyssa's new book report grade.

"They sound great," said Amiya. Suddenly, her phone began to ring, and she picked it up.

"Roy," she said into her phone. Suddenly, her face screwed up into a look of horror, shock, and then relief, "We'll be right there." She hung up the phone and turned to look at Nick. Her face reflected that of a shocked person. "They've found Sara," said Amiya. Nick stood up very quickly.

"What?" He asked.

"Yeah, she's—she's at Christ Hospital right now. I think she tried to fight him. But the doctors say that she'll be okay," said Amiya. Nick wrapped his coat around him and rushed to her car.

"Well, come on!" He said, "Lets go!" Nick felt slightly elated and nervous. He knew she was safe, he knew she was in good hands. She was going to be okay. She was going to be with him soon. Amiya laughed nervously and followed him.

"She'll be okay, how are you?" Asked Amiya.

"Confused," Nick admitted. In reality he felt not only confused, but also very nervous. He did not know what to say or how to say it. His thought turned to how much his family's life would change—how Alyssa and Emily would accept Sara. He knew Christina would, but then again she wouldn't be around as much anymore. They both stepped into the car; Amiya drove, and drove to the town of Clifton where the hospital was. Amiya got all the details on the way there.

The car had driven north and Sara had tried to stop the car. Angrily, the kidnapper had stopped the car, which turned out to be a mistake. He threw her to the side of the road, and she fell into a gorge. While he stumbled down to find her, he was convinced she had passed out. In reality she mustered up all her strength and went to the nearest person's house. From there, "911" was called and she was saved. As Nick heard all of this, he nodded, he knew his wife—and he felt proud that she was his wife.

As they pulled up to the visitor's entrance, Nick's stomach did a series of back flips, and he felt near throwing up. Amiya turned to him.

"Are you alright?" She asked once more.

"No," Nick admitted. He turned to her, "I've been dreaming for a long time that I would be able to hold her in my arms. I always said that I believed she was still alive, but deep down, I lost all hope. And now, suddenly, I wake up and I find that the one woman whom I thought dead is really alive, and—and there are no words to even begin to describe my happiness, and confusion!" Nick exclaimed. Tears flooded down his eyes as he stepped out of the car. He brushed the ferocious water with his tears. They stepped inside.

"We're her for Sara Stokes," said Amiya. Nick felt tears threaten to pour from inside as he heard them say which room she was in. They both walked quickly upstairs and found Ryan, Greg, and Warrick standing up there. Greg's eyes looked red, and Warrick wrung his hands. Ryan stepped forward.

"The doctor received her statement, we have SWAT out looking for this guy. The FBI stepped in with the case. Mrs. Stokes is free to go, but the doctors want to keep her overnight," said Ryan. Nick looked longingly at the door. He felt jealousy that Warrick and Greg saw her before he did.

"We'll leave you guys alone with Sara, just call us when you need a ride anywhere. The case can now be officially closed, after we catch that bastard at least." Laughed Amiya. Nick smiled. Ryan and Amiya left side-by-side and left the three men standing awkwardly.

"So, what is she like?" Asked Nick. Warrick wiped some tears.

"You tell us," He said.

"We figured you would want to see her first. I mean, you being her husband and all," said Greg. Nick smiled and embraced all of them. He wiped his tears with the back of his hand, and stepped up to outside her door. With a sigh, he opened it. He saw her lying there with her eyes closed. She hadn't changed at all in the last eight years. He noticed some wrinkles outside her eyes and that was it. The heart monitor beeped in rhythm and the lines seemed to rise and fall like her chest. Slowly, and very tenderly, he reached down and stroked her hand. Her injuries were not that bad, her face seemed cut, and bruises reached down her body. He knelt by her bed and put both of his hands in hers. She opened her eyes slowly; they seemed almost lifeless. A warm smile spread to her eyes.

"Hey," she said almost painfully.

"Hi," said Nick softly. Their eyes met and tears fell out of Nick's eyes. "I love you," he said.

"I know," Sara answered, tears now came down her face, "I love you too." She gripped his hand stronger. "I've been trying to contact you for the last eight years. How are the kids?"

"Great, but they need you, I didn't think I could handle it," said Nick. Sara smiled.

"Well, Christina should be eighteen now right? And Emily is fifteen, sixteen in a week, and Alyssa is eight…right?" Sara asked. Nick nodded. "I've missed eight years of their life, I haven't been able to be a good mother at all," said Sara. She cried and looked up at the ceiling. Nick leaned up and held her hand.

"No Sara—you aren't a bad mother, you—you are wonderful! It wasn't your fault," he stammered, "It wasn't your fault," said Nick more firmly. He took his other hand and stroked her hair. She took her hand and stroked his.

"Why, you have grey hair Mr. Stokes," said Sara. Nick laughed and kissed her softly. Suddenly the door burst open. Warrick and Greg came in, arms laden with Chinese takeout, balloons, flowers, and chocolates.

"We thought we would bring some food," said Greg.

"And some gifts," said Warrick. They both kissed Sara on her cheek. She quickly wiped tears from her eyes.

"Thanks guys," she laughed. A doctor came into the room just then.

"Mrs. Stokes, I'm here to remove the IV, you may leave whenever you are ready to," he said, "We have everything you need, and we figure, its time for you to go home." He smiled and started taking her IV out.

"Thanks," said Sara.

"Yeah, you just have some minor scratches and bruising. It seriously looks worse than it is. Just take it easy for a few days, see a counselor, and everything should be fine. Your story is like a fairytale for us now. We all admire your courage." He took out the IV and left.

"Yeah," said Nick, "We do…" He laughed. Sara carefully got out of the bed. Greg laughed.

"Oh, Sara, You might need these." Warrick pulled out some clothes, "Catherine sent them, and she figured you might need them…" He handed them to her.

"Thank you!" said Sara. Nick followed her to the bathroom, and made sure she could make it over there. She pulled him into the bathroom, and he shut the door.

"Nick," she said, "I was so scared for the past eight years…seeing you, I feel like I'm reborn or something." Nick nodded, "And it's over. So, I want to talk to you about it, so I'm not avoiding it. And by the way, nothing happened between us. I don't think he was interested in me that way. I just 'know' the law." Sara laughed. Nick hugged her. Kissing her quickly, he began to walk out, and turned around.

"It'll be okay Sara," he said. She nodded. He walked out and collapsed on a chair.

"Wow," said Warrick.

"Yeah," laughed Nick. Greg patted him on the back.

"You alright man?" He asked.

"Of course I am," said Nick. Sara walked out quickly; her hair was up in a ponytail. Nick took off his jacket as they walked out. He wrapped it around her. They took a taxi to a small hotel and stayed for the night. Nick and Sara were in one room, and Warrick and Greg in another. Nick and Sara did not sleep at all that night. Nick described everything that had happened as well as he could. He showed her pictures of the three of them, and they both reminisced. Yes, Nick thought, It was all finally coming together.


	14. A New Beginning

"_Sara!" Nick laughed as they chased each other on the Hawaiian beach. He quickly caught up with her, picked her up from behind and fell into the sand. _

"_Do you realize how clichéd this is?" Asked Sara as Nick rolled on top of her and kissed her hair. _

"_I don't care," He said. Sara pushed herself from underneath and looked at the sunset. Nick sat beside her as he spotted a lone tear travel down her cheek. A seagull flew overhead, and the wind brushed her hair on top of her face. He pushed it behind her ear and wiped her cheek. _

"_Hey, Sara, honey, what's wrong?" He asked. _

"_This is all too good," she said looking at the horizon. Nick put his arms around her as she leaned into him. _

"'_Ain't nothin' wrong with that," he said in a strong Texan accent. Sara smiled. _

"_It's just that, whenever something good happens to me, something ten times worse happens…" She trailed off. _

"_Like…?" asked Nick while stroking her arm. She stood up and stretched while Nick stood up behind her. She brushed the sand off of her body and walked quietly toward the cabin. Confused, Nick followed her as she walked inside. _

"_Sara?" He called. _

"_In the closet!" She answered. Nick put his hands through his hair. How was she so calm after just shedding tears? _

"_Come out quickly!" He said, "I can't wait!" Sara stepped out in a bathrobe wearing silk pajamas. She smiled and sat down beside him. He looked at her, and quickly flipped her over so he was on top of her. He brought his lips down and kissed her passionately. _

"_I love you Mr. Stokes," Sara said as he discarded her robe. _

"_Back at you Mrs. Stokes," Nick said as she pulled his shirt over his head._

_Later that night, Nick turned to Sara and smiled while stroking her cheek. "Wow," said Sara. He laughed. _

"_Yeah…" He kissed her forehead, "Nothing bad is ever going to happen, no matter what, everything will turn out great," said Nick. Sara snuggled against his chest and kissed his neck. He put his arm around her and fell asleep. _

_-----_

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Asked Nick as he kissed Sara's neck eighteen years later.

"Are you thinking about our honeymoon?" She asked. Nick nodded and ran his fingers through her hair.

"I failed you," Nick said. Sara looked up at the ceiling.

"No, Nick, no you didn't," said Sara while kissing him.

"I let you get taken away from me!" Nick said with tears running down his cheeks. She put her hand on his cheek.

"No, you didn't. That creep managed to do that on his own. I love you, and you kept your word." She kissed his cheek, and then kissed his mouth repeatedly.

"I love you too," He said in-between kisses. It had been eight years since they had made love. It felt right to Nick, to feel her body pressed up against his. It was a glorious feeling actually, he loved it. He never felt stronger than when she was beside him. Therefore, he had been weak over the past eight years.

"Tell me," said Sara, "Did you ever date after I was gone?"

"Once," answered Nick.

"Oh really?" Sara laughed while kissing his shoulder.

"Warrick and Catherine set me up," he said.

"Who was it?" She asked.

"One of the many lab techs, her name was Meredith. Idiot really, she was so…stupid. I mean, before I went out with you, I would've been like: Hey here's a good catch. But the whole time I found myself thinking, If only I could have some decent conversation. With Catherine and Warrick 'excusing themselves' often, it wasn't good. We hugged at the end. I never saw her again," He smiled.

"So you didn't," said Sara.

"You know, you're amazing…" Nick said.

"Why?" Asked Sara.

"After I was buried alive, I wasn't remotely okay until we got married."

"And I'm fine with this whole thing…" Said Sara looking up at the ceiling once more. Nick sighed. He felt he had gone too far…it was too soon and he broke her happiness.

"Well, I'm not. But there's so much I can do with being traumatized and upset. He never raped me or did anything like that. He had a fetish for kidnapping children, so he kidnapped me so that I could 'help him' not get caught. I tried to get him caught, but he threatened me with killing Christina, Emily, and Alyssa! All I was, was his ticket through the law. He would've kidnapped you too…so yeah…" Sara looked down. "It's over now," she said.

"In that case," Said Nick rolling back on top of her.

"Time for another round?" She asked.

"Just what I was thinking Mrs. Stokes," said Nick.

----

They went down to breakfast hand-in-hand later on. They had the small travel bag packed, and Sara wore the clothes from the day before. Warrick and Greg both hugged her and they all talked and laughed some more. Sara was excited, at five o' clock she would be boarding a plane to Las Vegas. Her home. Greg and Warrick sat her down between them.

"Oh no, you don't sit by Nick. He got you last night! We want to talk to you!" He squeezed her hand. She kissed his cheek.

"I missed you guys so much!" She cried happily.

"We missed you too," Warrick said. She could swear that they were tears in the African American's eyes.

"Does everyone know that I'm coming yet?" Asked Sara.

"Um…no, not really," Greg smiled sheepishly. Sara smiled.

"So it's a surprise?" She asked.

"Yeah," Greg said.

"Oh my god, you guys get back, and I'll be sitting in the layout room with y'all…and then lets just see who notices!" Sara laughed. Nick nodded.

"Great idea!" He exclaimed.

"But first I want to see my kids," she said.

"Of course," said Warrick. They finished their breakfast,.

"So, we've got five hours to kill until we have to be at the airport," said Greg.

"I hear there's a killer aquarium near here. They have one of the only shark-rays in captivity in the world," said Nick, "And you can feed birds and pet different animals from the New England coastal reef!" Said Nick.

"Wow you know a lot about this place, don't you?" Asked Warrick.

"Alyssa wanted to go a couple years ago…" Nick sheepishly replied.

"Well, let's go!" Said Sara. They all nodded and had the time of their life. At four thirty, the Cincinnati Crime Lab took them to the airport. They took the plane and slept for the whole ride to Las Vegas.

As the plane landed, Sara recognized the familiar structures from so long ago. Her heart warmed up as she realized that she was finally coming home. As they landed, Sara's stomach bounced up and down. Would her kids like her? What would they think of her? Oh god, she thought, I do hope they like me. She turned to Nick who was splayed out and sleeping. He looked very content, and his face held the look of perfect happiness. He had everything he needed, his wife, and three beautiful kids. He described everything about them last night, she felt like she knew them. But she couldn't wait to put a voice to those faces and personality to the words. A large smile covered her face as the flight attendant's voice came over the P.A.

Nick woke up and wiped the drool off of his face. He looked over at Sara and grinned. He held her hand, and she smiled back at him.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"I've been ready for eight years," said Sara. They both stood up and walked through the tunnel. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Warrick and Greg met them in the gate lounge and they made their way over to the front. Since they had no luggage, they walked to the garage and said goodbye to each other, knowing they would see each other in a couple of hours. Sara felt her stomach sink every mile they rode over to the house.

"Did you move?" She asked looking at how unfamiliar everything looked.

"No," said Nick, "There is just a lot more buildings," he smiled. He couldn't believe it had been a week since he stayed up all night telling Christina, Emily, and Alyssa about Sara. He grinned at the irony. A week ago he had no hope of Sara ever being found, and now she was sitting right beside him and looking out the window.

"You okay?" He asked.

"No," Sara admitted, "I'm nervous!" She exclaimed. Nick grabbed her hand as they pulled into the driveway.

"Well," he said, "We're here."

"Are the girls home?" She asked. Nick looked at the clock.

"Its six-thirty here," he said, "So yeah."

"Are you ready?" He asked. Sara nodded.

"Yes, I'm ready." He got out of the car, and so did she. They went into the house where Christina ran down to greet them.

"Dad, Kevin wants to—" She stopped when she saw Sara. She squealed and ran to her.

"Mom!" She cried. She hugged her. Sara wrapped her arms around her.

"Hey Chris, I'm home," said Sara. The other two girls came in with similar reactions. Alyssa was very excited.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, "Now you can come in for mother's day, and I can read you my poem!" She smiled. Sara was surprised, she thought people would be mad. She spent three hours describing her life, and getting to know her children. It was the greatest thing she had done in forever. The girls then went upstairs when Nick said he wanted to be alone with Sara.

"This is great," he said. Sara stepped up to him.

"Yeah, it is," she smiled. He turned on some music. It was Let it Be, by the Beatles.

"I have something for you," said Nick. He turned to a credenza and pulled out an envelope. He reached into the envelope and put something in his hand and walked to Sara. He quietly gave it to her. It was her wedding ring. She took it and put it on. Words escaped her as she was swept back into a world of romance and happiness. She had a family, and nobody was upset with her. She knew that there would be fights, of course there would be fights! But for now, everything was perfect and all was at peace with the world.

"Nick," she said.

"Don't say anything," he smiled as he took her waist and her hand. They rocked gently to the music. Meanwhile, the kids watched from up above.

"Mommy's back!" said Alyssa.

"I'm happy," said Emily.

"So am I," Said Christina. They went with Nick and Sara to the Crime Lab, Sara was going to surprise everyone. They wanted to see the expressions.

Sara and Nick made it to the crime lab earlier than everyone. Everyone sat in the layout room, and Sara sat in the discreet corner so that no one would really notice. She barely made a sound, and it was all that Nick, Warrick, and Greg could do to keep from laughing out loud. Grissom walked in, and the man who notices bugs did not notice Sara either. She smiled and waited.

"We're pretty slow today actually, everyone tonight seems to be taking a break from crime. This is good…so, Catherine, you finish up your case. Nick, Warrick and Greg, you wrap up the Cincinnati case, Catherine you have the details." Catherine turned and saw Sara. Sara put her finger up to her lips, and Catherine grinned back, she looked like it was taking a lot to keep her from jumping up and throwing her arms around her former colleague and friend. Grissom, not noticing anything, kept on talking, "Amelia, you finish up the solo." He stopped and looked up. "And Sara, you can….wait…." He stopped. Suddenly he broke out laughing. Everyone looked on in shock as he just kept on laughing. Amelia turned.

"Sara!" She exclaimed. She leapt up and hugged Sara. Grissom leaned over the desk. Everyone was slightly scared, this was uncharacteristic for Grissom. He rubbed his eyes and looked at her again.

"Sara, you're here!" He exclaimed. Sara stood up. Nick, Warrick, and Greg laughed to themselves. Christina, Emily, and Alyssa walked in.

"Don't worry Uncle Gil," said Alyssa, "you aren't crazy, Sara's really here!" Grissom wrapped his arms around Sara.

"I missed you so much!"

"What are we doing now?" Asked Nick. Grissom looked outside as Ecklie came in.

"I heard we're having a quiet night tonight. You guys can just take it off, don't worry, just keep your pager on," said Ecklie. They all went out to a restaurant. Sara grinned once more, she couldn't stop. Her life had turned completely around, and now she was really truly happy. Maybe everything that had happened in the past could finally be forgotten, and she could finally heal. They were all a family again.

Fin

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**_Hey guys! Wow, that was fun. I had a great time writing this. I want to thank everyone who helped out with this. And I'm sorry that it took so long, believe me, that's how long I've been working on this. Non-stop. This is my literal, fourteenth attempt. I really like it. Check out my future Gilmore Girls story. And for now, this is over! I am crying right now. This is the most amazing journey I've had. I don't want it to be over! Bye, and once more, review! _**

**_Ooh, and little postscript, that aquarium is the Newport Aquarium! Everyone should visit! I volunteer there and I love it:) Bye:) I love you all:)_**


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